Food Chain
by Happymystery12
Summary: "Jocks don't hang out with losers and vice-versa. It's just the natural order of the high school food chain." Nami is an outcast with dark secrets. Crossing her path puts Knuckles, a jock, in for a heck of a ride.
1. The Food Chain, Stated

"Eww, look, it's the new kid!" A black bat laughed, shoving a red fox against her locker.

The fox showed little reaction. She picked up her books, brushing her crimson, boy-cut hair away from her smoky pale-blue eyes. She fixed her earbuds in her ears and continued walking to the music room. She put her stuff down and sat at the piano.

A red echidna, the champ of the wrestling team, happened to pass by the room. He heard her playing. "Hm?" He looked into the music room.

She was singing as she played. "_This sweet burning kiss that we share is just an IMITATION. Losing my senses, my consciousness is fading. These overflowing emotions are making me… paint over the world in black~_"

The echidna was stunned by her voice. He easily recognized her: Nami Fujibayashi, the class of '14 loser. She was a sophomore, in the same P.E. class as him. He listened to her silently.

Nami soon stopped. She stood, her baggy jacket flowing around her waist. She grabbed her things. "May as well get home now. Getting home early might actually save me from the pain tonight." She walked right past Knuckles, taking no notice to him. In her mind, he was only another faceless jock. Knuckles watched her go.

_~Food Chain~_

The next day, the same bat girl again shoved Nami against her locker. Today Nami winced as her wrist hit the metal. Knuckles walked up to her. She didn't acknowledge his presence.

"You forgot this in the music room yesterday." He handed her a notebook.

She snatched it quickly. "Did you read any of it?"

"No." Knuckles' voice was calm.

"Good." Nami stalked away.

_~Food Chain~_

"They're heeere!"

"Ohh, Tails is so cute~!"

"Sonic's hot!"

"Knuckles, have you been to the gym?"

Nami groaned in disgust. The three school kings, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. And, like usual, they were surrounded by fangirls.

Knuckles saw Nami alone. However, Sonic distracted him and he turned his attention away from the outcast.

Nami sighed. "Of course. Of course they ignore the outcast." She looked at the notebook Knuckles had given her; it was her diary. "If he read it, I swear…"

_~Food Chain~_

After school, Nami went to the music room again. This time, she brought an iPod with her. She plugged it in and started a song. Dancing to it with a routine she made up, she sang almost happily. The song was titled "Secret Afterschool."

Knuckles passed by the music room again, passing it being part of his daily route. He heard her and looked in. The song, combined with the way she was dancing, would be enough to turn most guys on. But Knuckles wasn't. He simply watched, mesmerized by her voice. Her voice was what drew his attention, and only her voice.

When Nami stopped, she heard him clapping and whirled around on her heel. "How long have you been standing there?"

Knuckles smiled. "Long enough to listen to that."

Nami looked away, crossing her arms. "Go away. I don't want to ruin your reputation."

"What do you mean?"

"Jocks don't hang out with losers and vice-versa. It's just the natural order of the high school food chain." Nami walked over to the window.

Knuckles noticed her face was flushed. "You look hot. Not in an appearance way. Maybe you should take off your jacket." Walking towards her, he reached for it.

She pushed him away. "No! Get away!" She grabbed the collar of the jacket protectively, turning her back to him. "I'm ugly underneath this."

"… What do you mean?" Knuckles was becoming worried.

"None of your business," Nami snapped bitterly. "Go home. You don't have practice today, right?"

"No, the season's already over." Knuckles stepped towards her again, causing her to tense. "Why are you so bitter, Nami?"

"Again, none of your business. Now go away."

"Not until I get an answer from you."

"You know what!" Nami turned to face him, anger taking over her face. She soon sighed. "I'll tell you on Monday."

"Alright."

Nami grabbed her things and left.

_~Food Chain~_

"Get out of my face!" A crash. A table was knocked over.

"You bastard!" A crying woman. "She's just a kid!"

"Shut up!" A man hits his wife.

Nami came home to this scene, as she did every day. Unnoticed by her fighting parents, she slipped away to her room. After finishing her homework, she went downstairs to find her mother picking up pieces of broken glass. Nami helped her. "Mom, why don't you just divorce him?"

"He won't let me leave, Nami, I've told you before." Her mother sighed. Nami looked more like her mother, whose red hair and fur, along with her blue eyes, almost mirrored Nami's appearance.

"I miss Mithos." Nami started crying when she looked at the picture that had been in the now-shattered frame.

"I do too, honey." Her mother hugged her.

"Why did he do it?" Nami let herself fall apart in her mother's arms.

"As an escape, Nami. He did it to escape everything."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Nami. I love you too…"

_~Food Chain~_

**A/N: This sucks. X3 Thank you for being kind enough to read it though. Please review~**


	2. The Food Chain, Cracking

Nami sighed. Her job at the local maid café gave her enough money to provide for herself. Tolerance, higher. But she couldn't stand when people from school came in.

She heard a knock at the door, and, being the only free waitress, went to the door and opened it. "Welcome home, Master!" When she looked up, she saw Knuckles.

He smiled. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Don't tell anyone," Nami said as they walked inside and he sat at a table. "I'd rather not give everyone another reason to harass me."

"A closet otaku, hm?" Knuckles grinned.

Nami ignored the remark, which she thought of as an insult, when really, it was curiosity. "What will you be having?"

Knuckles looked at the menu. "Hmm… I think I'll have some soda."

"Alright. What kind?"

"Pepsi." Knuckles smiled at her.

Nami saw another waitress greet someone she dreaded and hoped she would never see at the café: Rouge. Her white hair sparkled like usual, and she wore far too much makeup. Nami quickly retreated to the kitchen as Rouge sat with Knuckles. She watched them from the serving window.

"Was that the loser?" Rouge asked Knuckles.

"She works here and she happened to be the one to greet me."

"She's stupid! Do you like her?"

"What are you talking about, Rouge?"

"I see the way you look at her. I see you watching her in the music room. That ugly otaku is far out of your league." Rouge glared at Knuckles. "Forget her. You can do better than that."

"What if she's better?"

"Then you're nuts." With that, Rouge with to another table.

Knuckles sighed. Nami came back with his soda. "Thank you."

Nami leaned down and whispered to him, "You wouldn't feel that way if you knew my secrets." She then retreated again, leaving Knuckles both confused and spellbound.

_~Food Chain~_

Nami screamed as she walked in the door.

The scene in front of her was gruesome: her mother, dead on the floor, riddled with bullets. Her father, aiming the gun at her now. He began firing at Nami.

Nami evaded the shots and ran to her room, his heavy footsteps following close behind. She slammed and locked the door to her room, then called 911.

"_911, what is your emergency?_"

"My-my father killed my mom…! He… he's… I'm next!"

"_Calm down, calm down. Give me your address._"

"Um, um. 9211 South Station Ave."

"_Alright. We're sending officers now._"

**Bang, bang, bang!** Nami screamed again, covering her ears.

Sirens were wailing in the distance, getting closer. Nami's father got into her room.

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!" 

Nami's father grabbed her. "I have a hostage!"

By now, kids from school had flocked to the scene. Among them, Knuckles watched in horror as a scene fit for a movie played out in front of him. "Nami… Nami!"

Nami turned to the sound of Knuckles' voice.

Her father shot out the window and SWAT officers rushed in.

Nami was brought out trembling. Knuckles ran to her and hugged her tightly. "What happened?"

Nami didn't answer. "…"

_~Food Chain~_

On Monday, Nami went to school, surprisingly. She was alone as usual. People still made fun of her. Nothing had changed.

After school, she went to the music room as usual. She sat at the piano and played Imitation Black.

This day, however, Knuckles was determined to talk to her. After all, there were still the secrets she said she'd tell him.

"Nami." Knuckles shut the door.

Nami turned to him. "Knuckles…"

"Tell me. You said you would."

Nami sighed, taking her jacket off. Scars and new cuts and bruises were all over her arms. "My father abused me. And I'm a cutter."

Knuckles' eyes went wide at what he was hearing. "Nami…"

"Please don't tell anyone."

Knuckles was quiet for a few seconds. He soon nodded. "I won't."

Nami then actually smiled. "Thank you."

"So…" Knuckles bit his lip. "What's your living situation now?"

"I'm living with my aunt, so I'll still be going to this school."

"That's good." Knuckles smiled at her. He stepped closer to her.

Nami hesitantly stepped closer as well. His hands seized hers and she looked up at him, her cheeks slowing reddening to the color of her fur.

Knuckles was smiling, desire in his eyes. Nami couldn't help but smile back. He cupped her chin in his hand and Nami felt completely numb. "Kn-Knuckles…"

Knuckles leaned close, brushing his lips against Nami's. Nami pulled away and stepped back. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Why not?" Knuckles took her hand.

"Because this will ruin you. You're a jock and I'm a loser. No one will like this."

"That doesn't matter to me, Nami."

"But it should. I'm sorry, Knuckles… I love you, but we can't do this!" Nami grabbed her things and ran out of the music room, crying.

Knuckles just stood there, stunned. "… Nami…"


	3. The Food Chain, Broken

_~Food Chain~_

"… Nami… Nami, wait!" Knuckles went after Nami. He grabbed her wrist and she dropped her backpack.

"What?" Nami turned to him, only to find his lips against her own. Her eyes widened and her face heated up. When she went to push him away, one of his hands seized her hands and his other arm snaked itself around her waist.

Knuckles pulled his mouth away from Nami's, and chuckled when he saw her mouth hanging open. "What's wrong?"

Nami shook her head. "Why do you bother?"

"Bother with what?" asked Knuckles out of curiosity.

"With me. I'm an outcast, remember? This will destroy your reputation, and-"

He hushed her with a peck on the lips. "What they say doesn't matter, Nami." He let go of her hands. "You push me away and I'll just come after you again." He smiled.

Nami didn't this time. She instead wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She let herself smile. "Fine." She looked out the window they were in front of and saw someone staring up at them. "Oh no…"

It was Sonic. And he looked angry.

Knuckles saw Sonic, then looked at Nami and smiled, shaking his head. "Forget him."

Nami let go of Knuckles. "Knuckles, he's going to tell everyone! I told you this would ruin you! I told y-" Knuckles silenced her with another kiss.

This time, Nami pushed him away. Knuckles grabbed her shoulders. "Nami, it doesn't matter what they say! I love you and that's that!" he yelled, tears in his eyes. "I don't care if they cast me away! _You're_ what matters to me!"

Sonic watched this and thought Knuckles was telling her to go away and that she was refusing. That is, until Nami's back was against the window and Knuckles was kissing her. "Eh?"

Knuckles pulled away from Nami, his hands still on her shoulders. He said something and Sonic saw Nami's knees buckle. Knuckles' arms went around her waist and his eyes closed. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Sonic watched, wondering not why Knuckles was seeing Nami, but why she was crying. He hesitantly left, deciding to call Knuckles later.

_~Food Chain~_

"_Hey. What's up?_"

"What did you say that hurt her?" Sonic asked immediately.

"_What're you talking about, Sonic?"_ Knuckles responded.

"I saw you two. She started crying, sobbing. What did you say to her?"

"I_ didn't say anything that hurt her. She started crying because she remembered the way she was treated when she was younger._"

Sonic didn't answer.

"_Why do you care, anyway?_" asked Knuckles when Sonic said nothing.

"Knux… You know what people will say."

"_Yeah, and?_"

"I don't want people to start making fun of you."

"_Well if they do, you won't do anything about it._"

"Yes I will."

"_Yeah, right. I'll talk to you later._" Knuckles hung up.

Sonic sighed. "You idiot." He lied back against his headboard.

_~Food Chain~_

"What? What do you mean!" Rouge yelled.

"Yeah, I saw them together this morning," said Amy, Sonic's sister. Her head quills, tied into a ponytail, bobbed as she nodded her head rapidly. "His arms were around her and he was trying to calm her. She was sobbing like crazy!"

Rouge stormed up to Knuckles' desk in his history class. "Why!" she screamed.

"Oh, hey Rouge."

"Why are you seeing that loser?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Who are you talking about?"

"That ugly otaku!"

"Does it matter why I'm with her?" Knuckles was quite annoyed.

"Yes!"

"Because I love her."

"But she's the loser! She's ugly! She's a geek!"

Knuckles stood. "Rouge, go away. I'm done talking about this."

"Well, I'm not." Nevertheless, Rouge left.

_~Food Chain~_

Nami's cell phone rang. She smiled when she saw who it was and answered. "Hey."

"_Hey._"

Knuckles smiled. "How are you?"

"_Good. Just finished my homework._"

"That's cool." Knuckles lied down. "So…

"_Have Rouge or the others been bothering you?_"

Nami let out a huffy sigh, sitting up. "Yes."

"_What have they been saying?_"

"Not saying. They've been physically hurting me."

"_WHAT!_"

Knuckles sat up quickly. "They've been physical with you?"

"_Yes. But someone defended me._"

"Who?"

"_Miles._"

Knuckles smiled. "That's great. I'll call him and thank him."

"_Okay. I have to go get a shower. I'll call you tomorrow._"

"Okay. Bye, Nami. Love you."

"_Love you too. Bye_." Nami hung up.

_~Food Chain~_

"Good morning, Nami!" Nami's aunt, Lilith, smiled. She was a maroon fox with bright blue eyes.

"Morning, Aunt Lily."

"Did you sleep well?" Lilith turned to Nami.

"Yes." Nami nodded, reaching into a cabinet and plucked out a box ramen. She tore the plastic package off, opened it, put water and the dehydrated veggies in it, and threw it in the microwave. She went back upstairs.

"Would you like some eggs or something? Spam, maybe?" called Lilith up the stairs.

"Some bacon please," Nami answered.

"Okay!" Lilith returned to the kitchen.

_~Food Chain~_

**A/N: Lol, sucky chapter! XD Next one will be out soon. Thanks to elliotxalicexlover and Silaze103 for the reviews~!**


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